The Best Things to Do at Discovery Cube LA With Kids

Families enter the Discovery Cube LA on the lower level and are immediately greeted by science experiments. My kids adore the funnel by the entrance, where they can roll balls around in a race to see which drops into the box below first. In the same line of sight are the cloud rings, where guests can pump on a drum and watch cloud rings ascend into the air.

Currently, a friendly Pterosaur greets kids near the gift shop, a nod to the exciting Expedition Dinosaur exhibit. Dino enthusiasts can crawl in a Jeep, try to reconstruct Pangea or check out some dinosaur X-rays before heading upstairs for more Jurassic fun. 

Always Our First Stop: Lasers and Lane Races 

My boys love the Physics Lab: The Raceway exhibit, where they can build and race a car on tracks powered by a series of loaded springs. Beware, the springs are quite hard to pull back so you'll probably need to provide some parent power to get the cars going.

This area is home to a bottle rocket experiment, a paper airplane challenge, and my kids' favorite—the Explore Deep Space game. Contrary to the name, this exhibit is more of a laser challenge, where kids can channel their inner spy and attempt to navigate the room without tripping a laser. Littler explorers can play an opposite game of "touch as many lasers as you can." 

Have you ever wanted to be on TV? The Discovery Cube gives you that chance in the Cube Studios Broadcast Booth. Kids can utilize a green screen and record broadcasts about climate change, environmentalism, and more while pretending to be a real news anchor. 

Trains and Tornadoes

Moving towards the back of the museum, kids can interact with a detailed model train set up, or play with an elaborate train table. To the left of the train display is the Park Science exhibit, with a rock wall, a tornado, a wind tunnel, and other "wind" driven experiments. My kids love taking turns giggling in a gale and jumping into the swirly tornado. My oldest always takes a stab at the rock wall challenge, which involves a sort of "hit the buttons" game. 

Garbage and Grocery Shopping 

Veering to the right from the Santa Ana winds section of the museum, kids will stumble upon a giant recycling truck, connected to a speedy sorting game. Kids choose a station and pick trash items off a conveyor belt, scanning them to sort them into their correct bins.

When they tire of saving the planet through recycling, head to the Discovery Market. Grab a (somewhat heavy) shopping cart and proceed through a mock market, scanning items on your grocery list. The challenge is to choose the most eco-friendly option for each item listed. All the products in the grocery store are bolted or glued down. 

 
Photo courtesy of the museum.

Heading Back: Home Inspections and Helicopters 

Moving towards the back of the museum, your kids will pause when they notice the planetary research station, a round room with a fascinating model of our solar system. Next, they'll beg you to ride in the helicopter, which takes kids on a simulated flight to learn more about how we get our water (a fascinating tale!). The helicopter simulator does feel like flying, so if you get motion-sick you may want to sit this one out. 

And, home inspections? I'll confess that this exhibit didn't initially seem worth our time, but it is surprisingly a lot of fun. Kids are given a tablet with a sort of scavenger hunt on it. They walk around a faux house, checking certain features of the home (if a gas hose is the right length, or an outlet is correctly installed, for example), and tick off the results to accomplish the challenge. By the time we had finished our "inspection," I felt like I had gotten a full education in home safety. 

Not far from the house, kids can also attempt to "pull their weight" (literally) on a series of pulleys. Staff will help your kids pop on a helmet and settle into a seat to attempt pulling themselves up, up, up, 

Hockey and Herbivores on Level 2 at the Discovery Cube LA

Level one has plenty to do, but head up the ramp before leaving. My son's favorite spot in the museum is the left section: the Coach's Corner exhibit sponsored by the LA Kings. Design a hockey suit, attempt to be a hockey goalie, play a game in the penalty box, simulate skating, climb into a Zamboni, or slap a few pucks into a goal. I had a hard time dragging my sports-obsessed eight-year-old away the last time we visited.

The right side of the second level is dedicated to rotating exhibits. At the Discovery Cube, a new exhibit rolls in every two to four months, keeping things fresh. Currently, Expedition: Dinosaur is on display through September. Animatronic dinosaurs roar as you enter, switching their tails and nodding their heads. Kids can design a dino and run the drawing through a scanner to watch the carnivore come to life.

Another exhibit allows kids to sift sand in a box with a prehistoric projection overlay. My daughters loved digging for fossils in a giant box in the center of the room, and we laughed when our five-year-old was called up on stage to compete in a game during the dinosaur show. 

Normally, a magnetic wall of tubes and tracks and another wall that functions as a giant Lite Brite are fixtures up here, regardless of what exhibit is on display. 

"I'm Hungry, Mom!": What to Eat at Discovery Cube LA

The Cube Cafe is near the entrance of the building, on the first level. It offers a surprisingly delicious and healthy selection of sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, drinks, and snacks for hungry kiddos. I don't know about you, but we can't go more than two hours without sustenance. The cafe has plenty of seating, and a wall of high chairs ready for ravenous toddlers. 

Where Is the Discovery Cube LA? 

The museum is in the heart of the Hansen Dam Recreation Area, located in Lakeview Terrace. Free parking is available in the lot facing the Hansen Dam playground with a sprawling play structure taking over several acres. Walk along the path towards the museum and find the ticket counter directly inside the gates. Visitors can book their tickets online, but walk-ups are also permitted.

Most exhibits are indoors, though a large outdoor space is utilized for traveling exhibits, Fall Fest, and other events throughout the year. There is often a small exhibit outside on the pathway leading to the doors; the last time we visited it was a simulator showing how rain collects and runs through the LA River.

Why a Discovery Cube Pass Is Worth It 

Why am I getting a Discovery Cube pass this year? For one, this museum is close. I'm a "Santa Clarita girlie", which means I'm about as far north as you can go in LA County. This museum is less than 20 minutes from my house. It's the perfect destination for anyone living in "the valley" (though I wouldn't rule it out if you live further out—it's worth a trip).

Because the upstairs exhibits rotate, there is something new to see every few months. The staff also loves to keep the museum fresh by moving things around and opening and closing various exhibits at different times. Passholders gain access to special events on-site, such as LA Science Night Live. 

Membership works for the Discovery Cube and its (bigger) sister museum, The Discovery Museum in Santa Ana (have you ever seen that giant dino skeleton off the 5 Freeway by Disneyland? That's the one!). The Discovery Museum features completely different exhibits than its LA counterpart and is absolutely worth a drive down (especially if it's "free" because of your pass). 

The Need to Know 

This museum is mainly geared towards elementary-school-aged kids: children ages 6-12 are the perfect target. Exploring the museum takes about 3 hours, though the kids will have so much fun you may want to stay longer. 

• Kids aged 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult at the museum. 
• The museum is open daily from 10am - 5pm (closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day).  
• As mentioned before, parking is free. 
• Strollers are welcome; there is a long ramp to access the second floor if you don't want to wait for an elevator.
• Service animals are allowed. 
• The staff is pleasant. They encourage walking throughout the museum and will monitor for horseplay, but are always very polite if they feel the need to correct. 
• There are bathrooms on the lower and upper levels of the museum, equipped with changing tables for babies. 
• The gift shop downstairs has tons of educational fun to take home. 
• The Discovery Cube hosts birthday parties and pretty awesome science summer camps. 
• Pricing for one-day tickets is $18 per adult (15 and over), $17 for seniors (62 and above), and $15 for kids 14 and under. If you purchase tickets and have to abandon your plans, not to worry. Tickets stay valid for one full year after purchase. 

All photos by author Kylie Williams, unless otherwise indicated.